A month ago, I had to put down my eldest furbaby, Dor. His heart was failing after 3 years of battling congestive heart failure. He could barely breathe, his gums were almost clear white, and every time he walked, he would fall and have a breathing episode. I wish I could have saved him, but it would be cruel to prolong his suffering, and he deserved a peaceful and dignified goodbye.

He was 17 years old and lived a good, humble life. All of us loved him, especially my other furbabies.

We were not able to euthanize him at home, but we did bring him back home from the vet before burying him. We laid him on his bed, and my 2 other dogs sniffed him. My pom, Reese, understood right away what happened and sat next to him, while Hershey (another pom) didn’t and just brought him a toy. Eventually, I think he realized.

The problem is, my sisters cat didn’t. And she continues to not realize until today. She sniffed his body but immediately walked away after. I assumed that meant she would be ok, but 2 days later, I hear her crying near one of Dor’s spare beds. I try to comfort her, but she honestly hates me, so she just hisses and scratches whenever I get near her or the bed.

Nowadays, she won’t leave his picture on our altar at night and continues to cry in the morning to the afternoon trying to find him. She goes to the usual spots Dor stays and waits for him there. They were very close, so I feel stupid for not expecting her to miss him.

She seems confused on why he’s not home, and I don’t know how to explain to her that Dor is gone. What should I do?